Superwog is not politically correct – but it is damn funny

In a disused rail yard in Melbourne’s west, zombies are pursuing a young man. Just as he’s about to be devoured, two “superwogs” – draped in gold chains and puffer jackets – pull up in an oversized ute and let him in. But as they disappear in a cloud of dust, the man scolds his rescuers for their “problematic” utterance of the word “zombie”.

“They actually prefer to be called ‘the living deceased’,” he says, using the smarmy phraseology of the woke Twitter crowd. The car screeches to a halt and the man is shoved out the door, into the clutches of the undead.

You might assume that a six-part comedy called Superwog – an expansion of Nathan and Theo Saidden’s short videos, which have accumulated almost 200 million YouTube views – is entirely focused on “ethnic” humour. In fact, many gags are aimed at uptight white people; the kind who silently cringe at “vulgar” displays of emotion from European migrants.

Theo Saidden, left, and Nathan Saidden are bringing their Superwog YouTube comedy to the ABC.Credit:ABC

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“People say it’s not the right time to make a show like this because it’s politically incorrect,” says producer Paul Walton, a partner a Princess Pictures. “But that’s exactly why it’s the best time.”

Each episode is uploaded to YouTube two days before it airs on ABC’s Comedy channel. Though commercial broadcasters might balk at this model, Walton embraces it.

“The Superwog YouTube channel has almost 1 million subscribers,” he says. “And it’s not a passive audience; it’s an active fanbase. These guys can’t walk down the street without people stopping them for selfies.”

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A decade ago, in their early 20s, the Saidden brothers began uploading skits to YouTube. In each, they play a variety of “wog” characters, from a tough-talking teen to a voluble mother and quick-tempered father. A few hundred clicks, they figured, would justify the effort. But it wasn't long before the viewcount soared into the millions, prompting them to quit their day jobs (Theo was a lawyer; Nathan, a courier driver) and devote themselves to comedy.

Raised in Sydney, they attended an elite Anglican college: a place of green blazers, boater hats and wealthy alumni. “Dad was really intrigued by this,” Nathan told Good Weekend in 2014. “He would come to the school events with his big belly and hair coming out of his chest and his shaved, balding head. He used to scream when I was running in school carnivals and everyone would look at him.”

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From an early age, the boys amused each other by impersonating their Greek-Egyptian mother and Egyptian father. When they uploaded their first clip to YouTube, they had a single goal: to make people laugh.

“The only question for us is, ‘Is it funny?’” Theo says. “All we care about is being funny.”

Walton says the series – which follows the Superwog family as they navigate life in white-bread suburbia – will not be sanitised for television. After all, the Saiddens have already achieved success in the brutally Darwinian world of online comedy. Only a fool would mess with their formula.

“You might ask why a white, bald middle-aged guy is making a show called Superwog,” Walton laughs. “But my job is about getting out of the way instead of trying to control.”

When the Saiddens were young, their father played Monty Python albums in the car. This sparked their interest in other types of comedy: the physical humour of Robin Williams, the impersonations of Barry Humphries, and the stand-up of Eddie Murphy and Dave Chappelle.

The Saidden brothers in 2014.Credit:Steven Siewert

Elements of each are evident in their new series. “We’ve had a few people come up and say, ‘Jeez, you guys are really lifting your game’,” Theo says.

“That means a lot to us. We’re constantly trying to make our stuff better for the fans.”